Mayo Clinic Health Manager

Get free personalized health guidance for you and your family.

Get Started

Free

E-Newsletter

Subscribe to receive the latest updates on health topics. About our newsletters

  • Housecall
  • Alzheimer's caregiving
  • Living with cancer

Prevention

By Mayo Clinic staff

Whether you're at risk of becoming obese, currently overweight or at a healthy weight, you can take steps to prevent unhealthy weight gain and related health problems. Not surprisingly, the steps to prevent weight gain are the same as the steps to lose weight: daily exercise, a healthy diet, a long-term commitment to watch what you eat and drink.

  • Exercise regularly. One of the most important things you can do to prevent weight gain is to exercise regularly. According to the American College of Sports Medicine, you need to get 150 to 250 minutes of moderate-intensity activity per week to prevent weight gain. Moderately intense physical activities include fast walking and swimming.
  • Eat healthy meals and snacks. Focus on low-calorie, nutrient-dense foods, such as fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Avoid saturated fat and limit sweets and alcohol. Remember that no one food offers all the nutrients you need. Choose a variety of foods throughout the day. You can still enjoy small amounts of high-fat, high-calorie foods as an infrequent treat. Just be sure to choose foods that promote a healthy weight and good health more often than you choose foods that don't.
  • Know and avoid the food traps that cause you to eat. Identify situations that trigger out-of-control eating. Try keeping a journal and write down what you eat, how much you eat, when you eat, how you're feeling and how hungry you are. After a while, you should see patterns emerge. You can plan ahead and develop strategies for handling these types of situations and stay in control of your eating behaviors.
  • Monitor your weight regularly. People who weigh themselves at least once a week are more successful in keeping off excess pounds. Monitoring your weight can tell you whether your efforts are working and can help you detect small weight gains before they become big problems.
  • Be consistent. Sticking to your healthy-weight plan during the week, on the weekends, and amidst vacation and holidays as much as possible increases your chances of long-term success.

If you really want to prevent weight gain, the best approach is to focus on an active lifestyle that includes an eating plan that's enjoyable, yet healthy and low in calories.

Coping and support
References
  1. Defining overweight and obesity. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/obesity/defining.htm. Accessed Jan. 26, 2009.
  2. Ogden CL, et al. Obesity among adults in the United States - No statistically significant change since 2003-2004. NCHS data brief no 1. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2007.
  3. Still CD, et al. Obesity. In: Rakel & Bope: Conn's Current Therapy. 60th ed. Philadelphia: Saunders Elsevier; 2008. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/117958748-3/0/1621/295.html#4-u1.0-B978-1. Accessed Feb. 20, 2009.
  4. Bray GA. Etiology and natural history of obesity. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Jan. 26, 2009.
  5. Kushner RF. Obesity management. Gastroenterology Clinics of North America. 2007;36:191.
  6. Duval K, et al. Health-related quality of life in morbid obesity. Obesity Surgery. 2006;16:574.
  7. Hainer V, et al. Treatment modalities of obesity: What fits whom? Diabetes Care. 2008;31(suppl 2):S269.
  8. Understanding adult obesity. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. http://www.win.niddk.nih.gov/publications/understanding.htm. Accessed Jan. 26, 2009.
  9. Bessesen DH. Update on obesity. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. 2008;93:2027.
  10. Bray GA. Overview of therapy for obesity in adults. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Jan. 26, 2009.
  11. Svetkey LP, et al. Comparison of strategies for sustaining weight loss: The Weight Loss Maintenance Randomized Controlled Trial. JAMA. 2008;299:1139.
  12. The practical guide: Identification, evaluation, and treatment of overweight and obesity in adults. National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/guidelines/obesity/prctgd_c.pdf. Accessed Feb. 25, 2009.
  13. Donnelly JE, et al. American College of Sports Medicine position stand: Appropriate physical activity intervention strategies for weight loss and prevention of weight regain for adults. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. 2009;41:459.
  14. Sacks F, et al. Comparison of weight-loss diets with different compositions of fat, protein, and carbohydrates. New England Journal of Medicine. 2009;360:859.
  15. Mun EC, et al. Surgical management of obesity. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Feb. 26, 2009.
  16. Hensrud DD (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. April 2, 2009.
  17. Anderson CA (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. March 3, 2009.

DS00314

May 9, 2009

© 1998-2009 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (MFMER). All rights reserved. A single copy of these materials may be reprinted for noncommercial personal use only. "Mayo," "Mayo Clinic," "MayoClinic.com," "EmbodyHealth," "Reliable tools for healthier lives," "Enhance your life," and the triple-shield Mayo Clinic logo are trademarks of Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research.

Print Share Reprints

Text Size: smaller largerlarger